To my Middle Eastern trained ears, it might as well have been Istanbul. But, as populists would have it, this was Berlin.

Neukölln, to be precise, cruising down the revolutionary Karl-Marx-Straße en route to the veterinarian with my Welsh Terrier.

“I’m not so sure about his democratic inclinations,” I responded. “Erdogan’s growing concentration of power in the executive is frightening.”

The week of Turkey’s 2017 constitutional referendum, which transformed the country into a presidential republic, everyone in Europe was on alert.

Especially Erdogan supporters in Germany’s 4.5 million-strong Turkish community. Campaigning for votes abroad, the president and his team had worked tirelessly to secure their favour.

“You are Israeli, like the Hamas captive?” the cabbie asked, looking at my last name on his phone. I nodded.

“Tayyip wants the same as Netanyahu,” he opined. “As long as we have strong rulers, we will both be safe from outsiders.”

The expression of fear in his statement was noteworthy. Erdogan made him feel more secure, even here, in the German capital. It was something I hadn’t given much credence before.

It was an informed comparison, at least from my point of view. A not so insignificant number of Diaspora Jews tend to feel similarly empowered by aggressive Israeli leadership.

“I agree with you that Bibi appeals to the security-minded. But I don’t like him, or Erdogan. They’re a step backwards,” I said.

“You’ve been here too long,” the driver replied. “The Germans hate us and want us to leave. What does that say about democracy? This is the most liberal country in Europe.”

His words felt heavy on my heart. I understood what he meant. “On the surface, its contradictory,” I told him. “Democracy doesn’t guarantee tolerance. But it can’t exist without it.”

If only we’d be able to have a different conversation. But, it made sense. Unlike American Jewish voters, most German Turks tend to vote for the far-right – when Turkish elections are concerned.

With 68.5% of Germany’s 1.2 million eligible Turkish voters in last week’s parliamentary election casting their ballot for Erdogan, former Green party chief Cem Özdemir said that Turks reject “liberal democratic values” just like Germany’s neofascist Alternative für Deutschland.